A Taree family says it is sick and tired of listening to police and council ‘excuses’ as to why the city’s youth anti-social behaviour cannot be satisfactorily dealt with.
As victims of threats, harassment and malicious damage attacks many times in recent years, the Taree West family says it may have to resort to legal action or worse, even taking matters into their own hands.
“I know that will mean me standing up in court, but at least then police and the council might start listening,” one male member of the family said this week.
The family has called police at least 15 times in the last two years, reporting the activities of mostly young people who congregate in the unlit Edinburgh Park, off Burri Street.
On most occasions, police “were either too busy or didn’t care,” the man said.
Although the park is fitted with high-powered floodlighting, it is not used at night.
As a result, the family said, young people gather there in the darkness to drink, take drugs and carry on with other loutish behaviour, including terrorising those who live in the neighbourhood.
There have been many malicious attacks involving damage to homes and cars, a number of break-ins and many verbal assaults.
“In the last two years both the house belonging to my family and also some of our vehicles have been the subject of about 30 episodes of anti-social behaviour.
“These attacks on our properties have all initiated from the darkness of Edinburgh Park by a group that has varied from two to three individuals to about 30.”
The man claimed that if residents confront the groups or complain to police about their behaviour, the young people retaliate by directly approaching and harassing residents, and damaging their property.
“I personally confronted six youths in the driveway of our family home, who were about to do some damage. They were not at the base of the drive or at the gutter, they were at the top of the driveway on our property.”
The man says he lives in constant fear that his mother, in her 70s, will be injured.
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... by one of the many anti-social activities the group uses, such as throwing missiles at the house.
“My mother has been terrorised by these little thugs and neither police nor Greater Taree City Council seems to give a toss,” he said.
Among the incidents he has recorded (many of them on DVD) are broken mirrors on vehicles, a vehicle sprayed with red and green paint, a vehicle dented by kicks and other objects, eggs and potatoes thrown at vehicles, a meter box vandalised, plants pulled out, a post thrown at a front security door, the front door and garage roller doors kicked.
“I think it is time to remind Greater Taree City Council that they have erected a sign in Edinburgh Park stating that loitering and bad behaviour will not be tolerated.
“This is signed ‘The General Manager’.
“I can assure you that both the general manager and the council - and the police - DO tolerate such behaviour and have done absolutely nothing about it.
“As a ratepayer in Taree I expect such a notice to mean something, not some meaningless dribble.”
The man said that on one occasion the police did respond, (“mum had to beg”), they “actually caught five or six after they threw eggs and potatoes at the vehicles and house, and then let them go and informed mum it was just a coincidence.
“So much for policing.”
After more attacks on the house, he approached the Manning River Times last year in desperation, and Times staff contacted a senior officer at Taree Police Station and arranged a date and time for a meeting between the man and a certain officer.
“He never showed up and nobody at the police station knew anything about it,” the man said.
“I have never heard from the officer, either to make other arrangements or to discuss the matter or to apologise or to receive an explanation.
“A junior officer had a listen to what I had to say and told me police would run some patrols.
“I have never seen one yet and I have been staying at the house every weekend for months.
“We don’t bother calling police unless it looks very serious as we’ve become accustomed to no response or spin doctor replies.
“I can appreciate police are understaffed and have a difficult job and things are prioritised but this is of no comfort or help to me.”
The man said one report he made to police at 10.20pm on a Friday gave details of what the six youths in his driveway were wearing, and where they went. He waited until 1.20am but still hasn’t seen the police.
The previous Saturday he rang police three times. They either didn’t arrive or arrived too late.
In mid-October, he said, three calls were made to police and “once again, the police took no action despite me witnessing the incidents in question and identifying those responsible.
“I find that the police took the word of these youths over mine most disheartening.
“On all three occasions, these youths used the darkness of the park to masquerade their activities.
“The council has been no better,” he said.
He had been to council and explained the situation and asked for some lighting on existing poles, but was given “a very quick and terse ‘no’.
“This park is under council control and I expect it to be safe for not just my family but all those in the area.”
He said the only “sensible response” he has had throughout the saga was during a conversation with council’s director engineering Greg Blaze “who was most accommodating and open about the anti-social behaviour facing council and the difficulty in dealing with it.
“I can appreciate this is not a problem with a readymade solution and is just as frustrating for council as it is for me, but something must be done.”
The man said he had checked on the internet about similar problems Australia-wide and noted that many councils are introducing lighting and security cameras to combat anti-social behaviour in parks.
“As a Taree ratepayer I expect some serious consideration to this matter and look forward to some dialogue with council sooner rather than later.
“I note that Greater Taree City Council has abundant funds to employ communications, project offers and God knows what else.
“Maybe it’s time to provide services to ratepayers instead of employing spin doctors and concentrating on services to their employees.
“I also note that Crs West and Richardson based their re-election on an anti-social behaviour platform. Well, here’s your chance to do something about it, besides lip service.”
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